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Completed 1/35 MiniArt MP

Discussion in 'vBench (Works in Progress)' started by Kimmo, Jul 26, 2022.

  1. Kimmo A Fixture

    Plans are funny in that they don't seem to work out much in my case, so I've become adept at changing direction on the fly when inspiration hits. I was supposed to get back to something else but life, uh, found a way to throw a wrench in the works. While rummaging through the stash for my last project, I had an option to do up one of the MPs from MiniArt's set that comes with their Bantam jeep. A very early MiniArt release, but surprisingly good, if not slightly beefy. The only major issue is the heads, the less spoken of, the better. My head stash also provided an interesting option, and a chance image while searching for reference gave me an idea. I'll keep some of the details to myself for the moment, and show you what is almost ready for primer. Click for larger photos.



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    I dipped into the wine cork bag again for the wall, using proper cork instead of the reconstituted version as with previous projects. Whole grain cork, if you will, has a very natural stone like appearance and the imperfections just add to that. Simply cut the corks into boards of a suitable thickness, chop up into blocks and glue to a stiff backing with super glue. Once dry, trim and sand as needed and then give them a good scrub with a stiff wire rush to give them more texture, wear and cut marks. The flagstone is from pine bark broken up into bits and glued in place. The gaps are partially filled with putty to help keep them in place and to reduce the amount of pigment I'll use to finish it off. Once everything was properly dried, I sanded and scrubbed those too. I added some shims under our chap's feet to make sure he stands upright. The capstone is foam textured with putty and a light tapping with the wire brush. Click on the photo below for a hi-res version to see all that lovely texture.


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    And a look at the backside to see how I put it together. I still need to skin the uprights and back. The backing for the wall goes down into a trench in the foam, easier to align, get a good sit and gave me a lot more gluing surface to make sure it all stays in place. The base was rectangular but I ended up cutting the diagonal as the dead space was too distracting. An other option could have been to add some shrubs or grass, but that was going to take more time than I was willing to allocate.


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    So just a bit more work on the base and a few minor details to the figure and I can get this primed.


    Kimmo
    Nap, gforceman, Bookman and 2 others like this.
  2. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Kimmo

    Happy to see you with another project , nice work on the figure so far

    Particularly impressed with the use of the materials to make the basework up .......and it's looking good made up .....great textures as you say

    Following with interest

    Happy benchtime

    Nap
  3. Kimmo A Fixture

    Cheers Nap!


    First session in after priming. Colours blocked in on the base and our chap has some basic shading and outlining done.


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    The base, thin layers to let the primer show through for effect and just a bit of highlighting on the stone work.


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    And a test fit. I had planned to bear in mind where his feet were to make sure I got good contrast between the stones and boots...


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    ...oops.


    Apart from that minor booboo, a good start.

    Kimmo
    Nap likes this.
  4. Warren SMITH A Fixture

    Country:
    Australia
  5. Kimmo A Fixture

    Cheers Warren!

    A bit more progress today. I needed to get some green back into the jacket as it looked too desaturated, the pants and gear were gone over as well and I got started on the skin tones. I promised more details as we got on, so here's the first revelation...



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    More info hopefully in the next update. Meanwhile, the base got done some more as well.


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    The real fun will start soon with the whites and lettering.

    Kimmo
    Martin64, China Dave and Nap like this.
  6. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Kimmo

    Nice updates on this fellow , uniform colour looks good , like the minimal equipt he has

    Interesting you've painted the head separately....ease of holding ?

    Looking forward to the lettering ( you adding some to the helmet as well ? )

    Base is settling down better ...more work to follow I am sure

    Happy benchtime

    Nap
  7. Kimmo A Fixture

    Cheers Nap!

    I paint heads separately if I can in this scale because it easier to work on, especially if a helmet is involved. Speaking of, it will indeed have lettering and should make for an interesting challenge as there is a bit more than just your bog standard MP and stripe. All will be revealed in due course ;)

    Kimmo
  8. Kimmo A Fixture

    More good progress. I think I have the face sorted out, a minor correction to his lower left lid is needed though. I got started on the whites and gave everything a flat coat as insurance for the next steps. The uniform and kit are mostly done otherwise.



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    I'm hoping to get another session in tonight.


    Kimmo
    Martin64 and Nap like this.
  9. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Kimmo

    This is moving fast , liking the whole look of the uniform , especially the contrast of the gaiters

    Are you adding rank to the arms ?

    Face looks good to me !

    Like the way the helmet markings are coming along

    Look forward to seeing more

    Happy benchtime

    Nap
  10. Kimmo A Fixture

    Cheers Nap! When I get going, I get going. No insignia for the arms, not too keen on painting them or using the decals I have at hand, need to get some good ones one of these days. It seems they weren't used all the time on field jackets in any case, and not in my one reference picture either. Speaking of...


    G6DASS4OCJAG3OTSXRVBOLEELM.jpg


    This is what set off the project and having a head that looked suitable. All my heads are very Caucasian, with the exception of this one from Armor 35. I did some minor rhinoplasty by shaving the bridge down a hair and rounding the tip a smidge. If we want to get picky, my figure has the wrong jacket, although this photo may be a presser and new jackets were issued, they all look quite neat and tidy. In any event, an interesting photo and a subject that certainly has not been given its due. Oh and this is the 92nd MP Platoon in Italy, 1945 according to the information that was under the photo. The googles don't really help in trying to find more information.


    I finally got the lettering done, didn't take as long as I had feared it might and went somewhat smoothly. I had a tough time figuring out the exact sizing because this is the only photo I could find and had to guesstimate the M on the helmet. I think the P still needs a slight tweak. The armband was much easier. One bit of advice in doing letters is to sketch in everything with very thin paint and concentrate on keeping straight lines straight, and thickness even. To get nice neat tops and bottoms, simply over paint with the underlying colour, you'll go insane if you try to get a thin line ending up square using the letter colour when they're this size. My tinted flat coat went down a bit heavy so there is accumulation in some of the creases, folds and seams so one more round of lining and filters will be needed.



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    The base got a bit more work and is just about ready for pigments to fill the cracks.


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    And a test fit


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    Just about there, a few short sessions should hopefully be all that's needed. I'll go over colours used in the next update.

    Kimmo
    Bookman, NigelR, Nap and 1 other person like this.
  11. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Kimmo

    Nice update , don't beat yourself up the letters looks good , thanks for sharing the advice when painting these

    The 92nd were of course called Buffalo Soldiers wearing this shoulder badge ( not worn in the reference )

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    Test fit looks good also

    Thanks for sharing

    Looking forward to seeing more updates

    Happy benchtime

    Nap
  12. Kimmo A Fixture

    Cheers Nap! Sharing is caring and just being a bit over critical...


    I think we may be done. I added pigments to the gaps in the groundwork and added a few more touches to the wall. Rather than slather on wet pigment, I piled it on dry, wet it down with water, then sealed it. A lot less messy. The clear coat had dried clearer than the previous photos so there wasn't as much work needed on the figure, just a few touches.



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    And as promised, the colours used


    Skin tones: Base was a mix of Dark Fleshtone and Chocolate, adding Sunny Skintone is too much of a jump so Red Leather and Orange Brown were brought in as mid-highs. Adding a touch of muted pink (Old Rose might be a good out of the bottle option) to the highlights tones down the orange in Sunny Skintone. Next time I might start of with a burgundy base to add just a bit more depth and life. Otherwise very pleased with the way things turned out.

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    Uniform: the German Yellow worked well to lighten without drastically altering the hue. US Tankcrew on the other hand really desaturates.

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    Stonework and whites: I found a mix of Medium Grey and Ivory to be a perfect base, then adding Ivory to lighten and pure for final highlights. White would have looked too stark in this scale. Shading was done by adding a touch of USA Olive Drab to get a slightly greenish brown grey.

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    My messy palette, and I used a Rosemary & Co Series 22 #0 this time. I forgot I had used just a bit of Pale Sand, but not all that much. Ivory was a better option as it doesn't have a pink tint to it.


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    I'll have to get some better photos taken, along with the Gendarme from a few weeks back.

    Kimmo
    Martin64, NigelR and Nap like this.
  13. Kimmo A Fixture

    Finally got some good photos taken and gallery link can be found here.


    A teaser

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    Thanks to everyone who followed along and commented.

    Kimmo
    Martin64, NigelR and Nap like this.
  14. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Kimmo

    Always good to see your figures and SBS especially seeing the mix/ paints used

    Looking forward to seeing more

    Happy benchtime

    Nap
  15. Kimmo A Fixture

    Cheers Nap!

    Kimmo

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